George Ayittey is one of a few African scholars committed to
advancing the ideals of classical liberalism. This is clearly
demonstrated in his previous books, Indigenous African Institutions and Africa Betrayed. In Africa in Chaos,
Ayittey advances the arguments made in those books, provides a detailed
report on the chaos in Africa, and proposes various reforms to deal
with the crisis. It is an excellent chronicle of events that have led to
the demise of civil society in Africa.
A clear indicator of the chaotic state of affairs is the economic condition of Africa. The continent—more specifically sub-Saharan Africa—is richly endowed with some of the most valuable natural resources. Its potential for economic growth is enormous, yet countries in this region have the lowest standard of living in the world. Malnutrition and even starvation are widespread. African countries rank lowest in all measures of economic well-being, such as the proportion of population below poverty, infant mortality, life expectancy, and caloric intake. Infrastructure, which includes government buildings, roads, railways, and telephone and electricity facilities, is in a sad state of disrepair. The evidence shows that political independence has not advanced the material well-being of Africans in general.
What explains this dismal condition? Ayittey’s book provides a detailed account of government policies that stifle the functioning of markets. Instead of building on indigenous markets that prevailed in the past, African leaders adopted policies that involved heavy-handed intervention. The primary result of government intervention has been to undermine the incentive to produce. In many countries property rights are insecure and leaders often engage in arbitrary expropriation. While many Africans remain destitute, political allocation of resources has provided rulers with copious opportunities to get rich.
Another reason for Africa’s economic crisis has been the mistaken belief that large modern projects are equivalent to progress. Supported by foreign governments and international organizations, numerous capital-intensive projects divert resources from consumer-driven purposes. Further contributing to the instability has been the reliance on the many public enterprises that are inefficient and largely dependent on subsidies.
But if political independence has done little to advance the material well-being of the majority of Africans, it has proven disastrous for their liberty. Ayittey demonstrates that independence in Africa has been characterized by some of the most oppressive governments in history. The first wave of civilian leaders adopted oppressive laws that prohibited political competition and empowered rulers to detain opponents without trial. These “leaders” were replaced in many instances by military officers who were even more corrupt and tyrannical. With every coup, things have usually gotten worse.
To compound the problems, many countries have experienced internal
conflicts. Armed clashes such as those in Somalia, Zaire (Democratic
Republic of Congo), Liberia, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Angola, Sudan, and
many others have resulted in millions of casualties. Internal conflicts
are exacerbated by the fact that government is geared more to plunder
than to protecting rights and keeping peace.
Ayittey is critical of the commonly proposed solutions to the crisis in Africa. He argues that foreign aid and loans such as those advanced by the international organizations have no benefit in the long run. Ayittey proposes reform policies that key on the restoration of civil and economic liberties, building on traditional African systems of governance.
In sum, Africa in Chaos is informative, well written, and rich in detail. This book advances our understanding of African institutions and should be particularly helpful to those “development experts” who prescribe policies to Africans and yet have limited understanding of the continent.
Source: FEE
A clear indicator of the chaotic state of affairs is the economic condition of Africa. The continent—more specifically sub-Saharan Africa—is richly endowed with some of the most valuable natural resources. Its potential for economic growth is enormous, yet countries in this region have the lowest standard of living in the world. Malnutrition and even starvation are widespread. African countries rank lowest in all measures of economic well-being, such as the proportion of population below poverty, infant mortality, life expectancy, and caloric intake. Infrastructure, which includes government buildings, roads, railways, and telephone and electricity facilities, is in a sad state of disrepair. The evidence shows that political independence has not advanced the material well-being of Africans in general.
What explains this dismal condition? Ayittey’s book provides a detailed account of government policies that stifle the functioning of markets. Instead of building on indigenous markets that prevailed in the past, African leaders adopted policies that involved heavy-handed intervention. The primary result of government intervention has been to undermine the incentive to produce. In many countries property rights are insecure and leaders often engage in arbitrary expropriation. While many Africans remain destitute, political allocation of resources has provided rulers with copious opportunities to get rich.
Another reason for Africa’s economic crisis has been the mistaken belief that large modern projects are equivalent to progress. Supported by foreign governments and international organizations, numerous capital-intensive projects divert resources from consumer-driven purposes. Further contributing to the instability has been the reliance on the many public enterprises that are inefficient and largely dependent on subsidies.
But if political independence has done little to advance the material well-being of the majority of Africans, it has proven disastrous for their liberty. Ayittey demonstrates that independence in Africa has been characterized by some of the most oppressive governments in history. The first wave of civilian leaders adopted oppressive laws that prohibited political competition and empowered rulers to detain opponents without trial. These “leaders” were replaced in many instances by military officers who were even more corrupt and tyrannical. With every coup, things have usually gotten worse.
Ayittey is critical of the commonly proposed solutions to the crisis in Africa. He argues that foreign aid and loans such as those advanced by the international organizations have no benefit in the long run. Ayittey proposes reform policies that key on the restoration of civil and economic liberties, building on traditional African systems of governance.
In sum, Africa in Chaos is informative, well written, and rich in detail. This book advances our understanding of African institutions and should be particularly helpful to those “development experts” who prescribe policies to Africans and yet have limited understanding of the continent.
Source: FEE
No comments:
Post a Comment